


Moonlit Flames

by ZombifiedWulf



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7926268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombifiedWulf/pseuds/ZombifiedWulf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in futuristic Tokyo, Japan. The Uchiha family has ruled for three generations, with Sasuke being the third generation. His parents are murdered shortly after his brother dies, and Sasuke secretly enacts revenge on those he believed responsible. Before his brother died, Itachi had been working on a revolutionary new project to give sight to the blind. After his death, Sasuke took it up, even abandoning much of his duties to his country.</p>
<p>Naruto was born with tumors in his eyes that prevented him from being able to see. Though the tumors were removed, he never gained his vision. After his parents are killed in a tragic fire, Naruto is led by his two Akita dogs - Kurama, his guide dog, and Kyuubi - to safety. He continues on his journey with only his dogs leading him until he winds up in Tokyo. Here, he meets Sasuke, who promises him something he never thought possible.</p>
<p>The power of love is put to the test, lives are risked, and vengeance begins to take hold. Is love truly enough to overcome evil? Or will revenge ultimately rule the lives of the last two remaining men from two powerful families?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: This story was originally posted on FFN many years ago, and I ultimately gave it up. I made some changes and am re-writing here as well as there! I hope that my writing has gotten better, and I hope you guys enjoy the changes that have been made to this fic! It will be fluffy and dark intermittently. Dramatic, loving, nerve-wracking. My goal is to make you feel many different things for all of the characters in this story!
> 
> This story IS SasuNaru/NaruSasu! However, because it begins with Naruto being 16 and Sasuke being 19, no sex will be happening for several years(don't worry, I will not be writing every single year that these two spend together). In fact, I'm not 100% certain that any gaysmex will be going on, because of how I plan for things to progress. There will be lots of cuteness, lots of funnies, a little bit of lovies, and DOGS! :D The Akita Inu is, personally, my very favorite breed ever! And Naruto will have two of them. Because they are awesome-sauce.
> 
> Please enjoy, friends!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: No characters are mine. All characters in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto unless stated otherwise.

__**PROLOGUE**  
"Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life... If you do this, there will many things about which you care nothing."  
\- Anonymous  


 

This was never supposed to happen.  
  
Naruto's eyes strained to read the odd letters in front of him, his eyes still sensitive to the bright, artificial light of the computer screen. His fingers ran over the braille in his book, trying to decipher some of the words he still couldn't quite read.  
  
Who the hell _were_ his parents? Who the hell was he? Why had he never heard about the significance of his family? Why had they never told him how powerful they were?  
  
He slowly read the words from the screen aloud, his fingertips finding the translated words and letters in his book, each word causing his heart to sink lower and lower.  
  
"Minato... Namikaze... and Kushina... Uzumaki, of the... once great Uzumaki Clan... are reported to have... killed... Fugaku and... Mikoto... Uchiha..."  
  
_What? Killed? My... My parents were responsible for Sasuke's parents' deaths? That's impossible!_  
  
Just who were these people that he had trusted for so long?  
  
"Naruto? What are you doing?"  
  
Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, rushing to close everything from the touch-screen, see-through computer screen. "Oh, just practicing my reading!" His words came out forcefully cheery as he hurriedly shut down the computer. "How was work?" He swiveled the chair around to face the dark-haired man. Sasuke was looking at him with an unreadable expression that made him fidget. Of course, expressions were still difficult for him to read accurately.  
  
Sasuke was unconvinced, watching the frantic actions of the boy- no, Naruto was a man now, he reminded himself, though it was still a hard concept for him to wrap his mind around. "It was work," he responded flatly, his words guarded. His dark eyes glanced to the translucent screen. Naruto still had yet to realize that computers came with an "erase history" option, so he would simply have to wait until the younger man was asleep before he went through the history to figure out what was being hidden from him. He was not easily trusting, though trusting Naruto had always seemed to come easy. With the blond's current behavior, however, Sasuke was put on edge and suspicious.  
  
What could Naruto have to hide from him?


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto as a sixteen year old blind teen is introduced. In this chapter, he meets Sasuke and is thrown for a loop! Sasuke, for his part, reveals that he actually quite dislikes dogs. How ever will these two manage to get along?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Aaaand bam! Chapter one! I hope you guys enjoy! :D Already working on the second chapter. I am LOVING writing this story! I do apologize for the lengthy chapter(unless that's good? Then, I'm not sorry!). It was really hard to find a decent stopping point, haha.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: NO characters are mine. All characters in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto unless stated otherwise.

**_CHAPTER ONE_**  
_"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."_  
_\- H. Jackson Brown, Jr._

* * *

 

Winds howled all around the emaciated boy, blowing thick blond hair all about his face. There was a chill with the wind that cause goose bumps to cover his arms, despite the thin long-sleeved shirt he wore. His body shivered, one arm wrapped around his torso in a desperate attempt to ward off the cold wind and protect what he could. His left hand clenched tightly to a dog's collar, the thick fur warming that hand. His sensitive ears could pick up the fast-paced steps of his other dog, circling the two of them like a shark. Instead of looking to attack the pair, however, the puppy-like dog was trying to urge them forward, herding them in his own funny little way.

The more stable, mature of the dog pair kept at the pace that his human was most comfortable with, quietly leading him, eyes fixated forward.

"Inside, Kurama," the boy mumbled. He had already said this, several times before, but there was nowhere to go "inside."

The dog leading him, Kurama, huffed, as if to say, "There is no 'inside.'"

He didn't have to read minds to understand what his trusty companion was saying. "I wish…" Naruto, the emaciated boy, stopped his words, forcing his thoughts to halt before they could really come to completion. There wasn't a point in wishing anymore. No point in hope.

The circling dog barked, and Naruto heard the dog's steps suddenly drift away. Fear gripped his heart, and he opened his mouth to call the easily-excited Akita back. Kurama, however, turned into him, signaling that they needed to turn right, and Naruto complied. The dog moved a pace faster, tugging his human behind him, urging him to move faster. Again, Naruto complied. He knew he had to trust his dog.

When his parents had first informed him that they were willing to give him more freedom just three short years ago, Naruto had been ecstatic. Was he going to go to school? For most teenagers, school was a dreaded thing. But Naruto wanted nothing more than to be able to be surrounded by people, to boast about accomplishments to people who wouldn't just gush over every little thing. He wanted to be genuinely acknowledged by others.

No, he wasn't going to school. But his parents informed him that he would be getting a dog. This, naturally, had confused the young teen. How would this earn him freedom? How could a dog possibly help him to be free?

"A seeing eye dog," his father had said, "will help you move around more! You can go outside – not away from the house, of course, and we'll still be watching you, but still! You can take him to the park, meet people your own age! We may even be able to send you to a school for the blind!"

His parents had been so ecstatic, so very pleased with themselves. Naruto, though excited about the possibility of going to at least some type of school, wasn't convinced. Still, he had gone along with the plan. The dog they decided on had spent two years in intense training. He was young, and Naruto was the first person to own him – aside from the people who took him into their homes to further his training. He didn't react to anything – not birds, not food being tossed at him, not other dogs barking at him. He, overall, was a tremendous dog for anyone, but perfect for someone who needed him to be quiet, cool, and accepting.

Naruto's hand clenched tighter on his dog's collar. Their first meeting hadn't been anything spectacular. Naruto liked dogs, sure, but he wasn't exactly rushing around to get everything ready. He didn't consider himself a "parent" of a fuzzy, four-legged creature. He just went along with it, as he usually did when his parents proposed an idea that they thought might further benefit him.

He loved his parents. He loved them before the fire, and he loved them after. He missed them a great deal, and his heart broke and tears flowed when he did allow himself to think about them.

But they were overbearing, if he were to be honest. Lovely people, no doubt, and they loved him, cared for him, practically gave him anything he asked for – unless, of course, they were worried about his "disability." But still, having someone figuratively wipe your ass for you, flush the toilet, and wash your hands for you wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. There were things he just knew he could do on his own, if just given the chance. But he wasn't. Of course, he would give away all of his new "freedom" if he could have them back, if he could return to a time before the fire. Before the fight. Before his last words to his parents.

_"I hate you!"_

Kurama stopped, and Naruto, too, paused. He could hear the happy panting to his right side, and knew that Kyuubi, the dog his mother had purchased shortly after Kurama came into their lives, was proud of himself for something. Naruto reached out his right hand, and Kyuubi nudged it with his nose, causing the boy to grin. "Good boy," he murmured happily, running his fingers along the dog's nose to the side of his head, and finally his ear.

Kyuubi had not gone through intensive training. They found him when they decided to meet Kurama's breeder. He had been returned to her when his original family decided to move to America, and could not afford to fly the dog. Naruto's mother had fallen in love with him, and had forked over quite a bit of money for the dog. The breeder, naturally, was concerned about Naruto's inability to see – not because she felt him incapable, but because Kyuubi did not have a good personality for a blind person, and lacked impulse control. He was excitable. Truly, both brothers had rather odd temperaments for an Akita.

However, the moment the dog came up to Naruto and nudged his hand with his nose, Naruto, too, had fallen in love. The breeder was assured that they would care for the dogs – she had little say as to where Kurama went, anyway, as she had donated him to the training facility specifically for the purpose of training him as a guide dog – and conceded when she realized the quick bond that Naruto was forming with the more excitable dog.

The family had continued both dogs' training under careful guidance for the years that followed until the fire. Kyuubi's touch to Naruto's palm had been a trick that they'd perfected, a way of bringing the dogs close to Naruto when he needed them.

Kurama again stepped in front of Naruto, nudging him again to the right, until pausing again. Naruto heard the dog's claws scrape against something that sounded like wood. He removed his hand from Kyuubi's face, reaching in front of him until he felt his fingers stroke something rough. He ran his hand carefully across the wood until he felt an opening. A door. Kurama had alerted him that the door was in front of them. "Good boy, Kurama," Naruto praised the dog. He tugged at the wooden door, but was forced to use both hands to pull the door open. He felt Kyuubi slip past him, and brought his left hand back to his guide dog's collar. "Go ahead," he instructed gently, and the dog tugged him carefully forward.

The scents that invaded his nose were easily identifiable as the scent of farm animals. A barn, perhaps. There were surprised noises coming from what he assumed to be other animals – a horse, he heard, and a pig. There could have been more, but he wasn't certain. Now that he couldn't hear the wind pounding against his ears, he could hear crickets. Nighttime. Nobody would find him here. Not until daylight, at least.

A yawn interrupted his thoughts, and his body felt very heavy. His muscles ached. He had walked for a long time. He couldn't be entirely certainly for how long, nor how many days had passed. He could hear Kyuubi rustling around somewhere straight ahead. Kurama carefully led him closer. The dog stopped and scratched at the ground, and Naruto could hear a similar type of rustling sound. He let go of the dog's collar, crouching down to feel whatever it was the dogs were scraping – Kurama simply to alert Naruto to it, and Kyuubi… Well, Naruto wasn't sure what the dog was doing, but it sounded methodical. He could feel rough strands. He brought a handful of strands to his nose, sniffed, and identified them as hay.

He was then very thankful that his grandmother had owned a farm, and he could easily identify not only the noises of the animals, but now, this pile that he could use for a bed. This was certainly better than sleeping on the hard ground.

Kyuubi must have been making himself a bed, then.

"Relax," he instructed Kurama in a light voice. This was the dog's cue that he was now off-duty. The dog shook off, as though releasing tension from a hard day's work, but remained where he was. The dog's eyes were on his human as Naruto created his own "nest," as though he wanted to make sure that he wasn't needed. When Naruto was finished and had lied down in the makeshift bed, only then did Kurama circle around the hay and lay close to Naruto. Soon, Kyuubi abandoned his own nest in favor of sleeping closer to his family. He curled himself as close as possible to Naruto, laying his head on the blond's chest.

Just before sleep, it was common for Naruto to think of his parents, when he would allow himself to be overcome with feelings of guilt, regret, and loss. His body was sore, however; heavy. He was asleep by the time Kyuubi made himself comfortable.

* * *

"What the-? Hey! Who the fuck are you!"

For just a second, Naruto was confused. Who would be screaming at him in his own house? Who would question who he was, for that matter?

The memories came crashing back when he realized he was not in his bed, but in a pile of hay, surrounded by the scents of a farm. He jumped up. "Um, I-"

"Get out of here!" The voice cut him off.

Naruto reached for Kurama, feeling panicked. "Uh," he stuttered, momentarily forgetting the cue that he had spent years perfecting, "Work time!"

Kurama was quick to slide up to the boy's left, and Naruto gratefully grabbed his collar. "Outside," He instructed, his voice shaky. He heard Kyuubi race outside, and Kurama was quick to follow, mindful of his pace, but nonetheless excited to go outside.

"Hey, wait, are you-?" The voice faded as the trio exited the barn. Naruto didn't pause, didn't worry about whatever it was the man was going to say. Even if he was going to recognize that Naruto was blind, what would that do? The man may feed him and his dogs, but he would be sent to a foster home, for sure. His dogs might be taken from him. He would only lose the last remaining family members he had left.

And so, he continued forward. Kurama was slightly confused, as no destination had been given to him, but he simply followed Kyuubi. Minus the odd zig-zagging that his brother was doing.

The trio walked again for a long time. The wind was still harsh, still biting at his ears, his nose. Kyuubi had grown tired, and was walking to Naruto's right. The boy placed his right hand on the dog's shoulders, burying his fingers into the thick fur in an attempt to warm them up.

When had it become so cold? Fear gripped his heart. Winter must be just around the corner. What was he going to do? How would he survive? He knew he was already too thin. He knew his body would not continue to work as hard as it had been. Eventually, his body would simply give out. He knew it did not take very long for the body to starve to death. Being alive only meant that he hadn't reached that point yet. But he was hungry. Starving.

"We can only move forward," he said to his dogs, his voice light. It was a forced cheery tone. His canine companions didn't seem to notice the false tone and pushed on.

The sun had warmed his body, but the wind continued to bite at any exposed flesh it could. His nose and ears stung with each fresh gust.

He could hear cars to his right. Soon, more sounds and smells invaded his sense. He knew from his parents and training his dogs to be reliable in the city close to his house that cities were loud, bustling, confusing even for people who could see. And the smell. Naruto grimaced. It smelled like pollution – something he had learned about from homeschool lessons. _Thanks, Mom and Dad, for those lessons, even though you never intended on me ever using them like this._

This, however, was not was he expected. When Naruto began his trek, he had no idea where it would lead him. He didn't stop to ask people questions or directions. He hadn't asked for anything, truthfully, though he had received food on rare occasions when he slept on a park bench, or sat on a curb to rest. Most people weren't even aware he was blind.

Noise interrupted any thoughts he could bring. People talking, cars honking. He was brushed past, shoved. He heard grunts of frustration as he tried in vain to slip by people. Panic rose in his chest, and he could feel frustrated, frightened tears threatening to overflow. Kyuubi's shoulders felt tense beneath the boy's hand. Kurama remained unfazed, dutifully leading his owner to the side of a business, where fewer people were. He scraped at the ground with a paw. Naruto searched with his hand before he felt what felt like brick, leaned his back against the sturdy building, and slid down with a relieved sigh. The dogs sat faithfully beside him, on his right side. Kyuubi rested his chin on the boy's head briefly, before stretching out his front legs and collapsing himself into his human's lap, practically curling his entire body onto the boy's legs.

"Relax," Naruto cued his guide dog. The dog shook himself off before he, too, lied next to the blond and rested his head on top of Kyuubi's shoulders.

* * *

"Well, now, this looks interesting. Wouldn't you agree, Sasuke?"

"Suigetsu, we have work to do," Sasuke sighed at his employee's lack of work ethic.

He could hear the other man snickering, and turned away from his writing to glare in his direction. The glare went ignored. "This, I believe, may prove to help us in our work," he remarked, turning to his boss with that weird scientific grin he got when his mind was plotting. Usually, this meant that he was plotting some weird, sadistic new law that he wanted to pass. Sasuke wasn't a sadistic person; he only wanted things orderly, and enforced that on the people he ruled over. He had already enacted revenge on the people he needed to, and the darker parts of him were, for the most part, kept locked and hidden in a box inside his head.

Naturally, Sasuke was on the defensive, ready to deny whatever truly evil request the silver-haired man had in mind. "What do you mean?" He questioned, standing from his chair to move slowly to his employee's side at the window. The white-haired man had turned back to the 'interesting' thing. "Is someone getting mugged or something? That's not interesting, you sadistic fuck," Sasuke grumbled. Suigetsu didn't bother replying as the country leader's eyes landed on what he had been looking at.

Two dogs. Two _off-leash_ dogs walking with some mangy-looking blond kid. They were walking against the crowd – didn't this kid know that the country had laws? The people were expected to move with the crowd, so as to prevent situations such as the one occurring below them.

"Great, another law-breaker," Sasuke growled and turned to deal with the problem, but Suigetsu stopped him.

"Look closer. For a genius you're oblivious sometimes," the man smirked, his voice dripping with amusement. Sasuke could count on one hand the amount of people who weren't afraid of him. He was sometimes irritated to say that Suigetsu was one of them.

With an irritable huff, the dark-haired man looked again the scene. _Closer_ , Suigetsu had said. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, trying to examine the boy and his dogs. His hands were on both dogs, but he was holding the collar of one. The other didn't appear to have a collar. "Why is he…?"

Suigetsu simply waited, patient, as the puzzle pieces connected for his leader. It took until the blond seemed to have to feel around for the wall of the business across the street – some cozy little cafe that had the best coffee – for everything to click for the last remaining Uchiha.

"He's blind," Sasuke realized, turning to look at his grinning employee. The dark-haired man's eyebrows drew closer together, giving the other man a disapproving look. "Don't look so excited. We're still in testing."

"Yes, but you're the emperor, Sasuke. You can just force him to comply."

Sasuke seemed to mull that over for a moment before nodding. "Bring him in," he ordered.

With that, he turned away from the window and returned to his work.

"As you wish," Suigetsu said simply, a smirk on his face as he took long strides towards the EXIT sign.

When the white-haired man left, Sasuke was approached again. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to glare at the offender. The "offender" was another man who was not afraid of anything Sasuke could throw at him. This one, however, Sasuke appreciated. "Yes, Kakashi?"

"I do not believe it's wise to simply force someone to comply with whatever you desire. Your father ruled before you, and his people feared him. You should not-"

"Kakashi," Sasuke's voice was smooth, but the older man could see anger alight in his dark eyes. He had crossed a line, "if you ever mention either of my parents in front of me again, you will become the test subject."

The silver-haired man sighed. "Understood. But that does not change the fact that forcing this boy to comply with your demands is immoral and wrong. You are not an evil man, Sasuke, but you are becoming-"

"Becoming what, Kakashi? Evil?" Sasuke snorted dismissively, turning away from the man he had named his adviser. "Your advice is starting to sound like the way the Uzumakis would lead. And if they weren't evil, why do you think they killed my family? Things are not black and white, Kakashi. This must be done to further advance our technology. The people will thank me, even if we may lose a few lives."

The older man had to bite his tongue to keep from speaking further. He knew when Sasuke had had enough. For the younger man to mention the Uzumakis, Kakashi knew that he had truly pushed at too sensitive a place. He simply bowed and turned away.

Suigetsu had advanced upon the blond-haired boy. He leaned forward and waved a hand in front of the kid's face. The dogs beside him stiffened, and the one sitting to his left, the leaner, younger looking of the two, gave a low growl.

"Kyuubi?" The boy reached out to touch the dog. When he had turned to sit against the wall, Kurama had remained where he was, and so, was sitting on his right. Kyuubi was on his left. Naturo realized this when his fingers had touched the dog's neck and there wasn't a collar on the dog.

He heard a snicker, and he, too, stiffened.

"Ah, you really are blind, then?" The voice seemed amused, yet fairly friendly. As though he weren't mocking Naruto's blindness, simply confirming it.

"Yes," Naruto responded, guarded.

"Well, you better come with me, then," he reached for the boy's hand, but both dogs immediately stood and blocked him. The one that the blond boy called Kyuubi growled again. "You have some aggressive mutts there, kiddo," the man glared at the dogs.

Naruto stood. "It's okay, guys," he said softly. The dogs remained tense, but moved from in front of Naruto. "They aren't aggressive, and they aren't mutts," he grumbled. "They're protective; you probably reached for me or something. They don't like strangers trying to grab me. I think that's a good thing! And these are purebred Akita Inus, you dimwit! This is Japan's national dog. You should know they aren't mutts."

Suigetsu couldn't help but find amusement in the boy's attitude. "You're an interesting one, ain't ya? Anyways, time to go, puppies. Your master is coming with me now. Shoo-shoo!"

Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't know who you are, and you're an asshole."

Suigetsu laughed, loudly. It took a moment for him to compose himself. "You're serious? I am Sasuke Uchiha's right-hand man. You can't tell me no. Besides, a kid like you shouldn't be using such awful language!" The man laughed again.

Confusion spread over the boy's face. "Sasuke Uchiha? I… Am I supposed to know who that is?"

The older man again laughed, before he realized that the blond was being serious. He was utterly baffled. "How in the hell do you not know who he is? He's the fucking emperor! Holy shit, kid, have you been living under a rock or something? You certainly smell like it," he pinched his nose, though the boy couldn't see the act.

"No!" Color flooded Naruto's cheeks. "I mean, not a rock..." It took a few moments for him to process what the other man had said. "Emperor? But… I… I'm sorry, my parents never told me of an emperor."

Suigetsu blinked, before shaking his head. "Well, there is one. And he gets pissy if things are not delivered to him in a timely fashion. So let's go, kid. Send the mongrels away."

The blond paused, processing what the stranger had said. If he was telling the truth, it wouldn't be wise to say no. If he was lying, and tried to attack him, his dogs would protect him."They go with me," Naruto said simply. "Kurama, work time!" He instructed cheerfully.

The dog instantly moved to Naruto's left side, and Naruto took hold of his collar. Kyuubi moved to the right, sticking close to his owner, his dark eyes glued on the suspicious man in front of them.

Suigetsu hesitated for a split second. Sasuke would not appreciate dogs in the company his deceased brother had founded. However, he also knew that this boy was important to the goal that the Uchiha had planned. With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright then. Follow me," he said, not bothering to pause to give the boy time to instruct his dog.

Naruto nonetheless did instruct Kurama to "Follow," a cue that, again, he had learned during his years training with Kurama. This was meant to help him in case he ever got lost. It was a weird experience, having to trust his dog, and his dog having to trust him to know whether a person was safe to follow or not.

He missed his parents. Overbearing or not, he never felt lost, or alone, or confused. He felt all of these emotions as he was led into a heated building, and into what felt – when it began moving – to be an elevator. His parents had exposed him to many different things, they simply never let him out of their sight. Which he thoroughly missed now.

However, at the thought of his parents, another disturbing thought entered his mind. Why hadn't they told him that their country was ruled over by someone? Naruto could not seem to shake the sudden feeling that there was a lot his parents had never mentioned, and having an emperor was only one tiny piece of this puzzle. The boy chose not to dwell on it when he heard the elevator door open, and Kurama tugged him gently, still following the man he was instructed to follow.

The sound of glass shattering caused him to jump. Suigetsu stopped, causing the guide dog to pause as well. Naruto could hear the click of Kyuubi's claws come to a halt and assumed the dog had stopped as well.

"Kakashi! What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke glared at his adviser. The man only smiled and waved him off, grabbing a broom and dustpan to clean the shattered cup he had been holding.

"At least I finished my coffee, Sasuke," he mused.

_Sasuke? The emperor? Great, he sounds like an asshole, too. What did I get myself into?_

Kurama tugged him along, Kyuubi following quietly on his other side.

"Hey, Sasuke, this is 'im! He really is blind! He wouldn't leave the damn mutts, though," Suigetsu practically snarled.

Sasuke's dark eyes shifted from the man in front of him, to the gangly, sickly looking boy with the two underweight dogs. A single brow lifted, just a slight hint of movement. "Akitas? A regal breed, to be certain. But I did not think they did well as guide dogs," the man spoke, stepping around Suigetsu, ignoring the other man. "Would you join me in the conference room so we may discuss my offer?"

Kakashi watched from afar, his heart racing. He would never forget that face. Three tiny scars lined each cheek, earned a long time ago during a tragic accident caused by the family he worked for. Eyes blue as a clear sky, as though not even blindness could cloud them. Hair as bright as sunlight, reaching in various directions haphazardly.

Naruto was no longer a toddler. He was older. He was starving. He probably hadn't showered in a long time. But he was Naruto. Kakashi would never forget his face.

He felt a mixture of relief and confusion. Why was Naruto here? Where were his parents?

As Sasuke and Naruto entered the conference room, Kakashi quietly slipped out of the office. He had his own work to do.

* * *

"Er, excuse me? You want to do _what_ to my eyes?"

Sasuke sighed. This kid was dense. Clearly, his explanation needed some dumbing down. "We'll use advanced lasers and ultrasounds to identify the cause of your blindness, and we will repair it."

Naruto shook his head. "I already know what caused it. I had retinoblastoma in both eyes as a baby. They got the tumors out, but apparently damaged my eyes or something because I never got my vision back," he shrugged.

"Then we will repair the damage done."

"How is that even possible?" Naruto shook his head again. Sasuke sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions for you, oh great emperor, but I don't even know you. How the hell do you expect me to believe anything you're saying? Or even trust you? My parents never told me anything about an emperor. How do I even know you're who you say you are? How am I supposed to know that you're not just trying to, like, steal my kidneys or something?"

At this, Sasuke's brow arched. Another one to add to the list of people not afraid of him? The kid had balls, he'd give him that. "Your parents never informed you that your country is ruled by an emperor? I'm the third generation ruler. It seems unbelievable that they'd leave something like that out."

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged, chewing on his lip uncomfortably. _Three generations? What were they thinking? Why didn't they tell me anything about this guy?_

"Where _are_ your parents, Naruto?" Sasuke cut into the blond's thoughts. He watched the boy fidget uncomfortably.

"They, um… They're dead," he spoke softly.

Sasuke blinked. "Dead? Why aren't you in a foster home?"

"Well… I just kind of…" He was silent for a moment, before shaking his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sasuke was quiet for a long while, his eyes on Naruto's face. He had strikingly blue eyes, and it was hard to believe he was blind. Those eyes seemed to look through him, seeing everything. If he wasn't so dense, Sasuke might have even considered the kid dangerous. Scars lined each side of his face. Those scarred cheeks were red with shame. His hands reached for the guide dog, stroking one of his ears. The other one, the one he had identified as Kyuubi, stood still near the door, glaring at Sasuke. "That is… odd," he spoke slowly, not wanting to put the boy on the defensive. This procedure was his brother's dream. Sasuke was not the people-person his brother was, but he knew a chance like this was a rare one. Even being the emperor, he knew Kakashi was right. He would have more success with a willing test subject than someone who was forced into something. "But, indeed, rather brave. You struck out on your own after your parents' deaths, with only your dogs. I admit, Naruto, I am impressed with your aptitude and your resilience."

Naruto's face grew red again, this time, however, from embarrassment. "I… I'm not brave. I ran away," he said, shaking his head, his fingers still stroking the velvety ear of his companion.

"Perhaps. But you knew a foster system would separate you from your dogs, correct? It seems like you made the best decision for you and your dogs." _Though an orphaned foster child would be easier to use, since I control them. This way,_ _however,_ _if any damage is done or his life is lost, there is no one to report back to._

Naruto simply nodded.

"Hn. Well? Would you allow my team and I to operate?" Sasuke pressed.

Naruto was silent for several moments. "How many other people have you guys done this for?"

"You would be the first… person… that we've operated on. But we have tested it on animals," Sasuke responded honestly.

"Animals?" Naruto cringed. Sasuke was quiet, allowing the boy to process his words. Eventually, he sighed and nodded. "Okay… But, I do have a condition."

Sasuke snorted. "We're doing this for free, and you have a condition?" When Naruto nodded decisively, Sasuke couldn't help but admire him. Only a little. And only because of he could see his own stubborn traits in that simple action. "What is your condition?"

"Well, you guys need me, right?"

"Not exactly. I _am_ the emperor. I can just make someone do it."

"Sure, but that's, like, bad publicity or whatever, right? That's not good for you. Eventually people would just overthrow you. Even if your army is badass, what are you gonna do, wipe everyone out? You'd have no one to rule over. You seem smarter than that."

Sasuke smirked. _This kid is smarter than he looks._ "Okay. Tell me what your condition is and I'll see if it's worth ending my reign or not," he responded in an even tone, though the statement itself was meant to be sarcastic.

"Um," Naruto began fidgeting again, his cheeks coloring. Sasuke remained quiet, letting the boy gather his thoughts. "I… I don't want to be in foster care, but… I need… I need a home. Food. Some fresh clothes would be nice. Oh, God, and a shower! Please let there be a place I can take a damn shower!"

"That's more than one condition. I have to house you, feed you, clothe you, and provide you with a place to clean the grime off? Sounds complex."

Naruto snorted. "Stop screwing with me. That's what I want. You can do whatever you want to my eyes if you give me that."

"Hm. Well, operating on you would definitely be easier if you didn't smell like you were raised in a barn."

Naruto's face seemed to light up. "Is that a yes? To everything?"

"Yes. We will provide you with a home with the necessities. However-"

Sasuke was cut off by Naruto's excitement. The boy jumped out of his chair, clapped and knelt down to hug his guide dog. "We have a home, Kurama, Kyuubi!" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

" _Listen_ , Naruto. This is important. You will have to stay with me before the surgery. During and immediately after, you will stay in the hospital, where you can be properly cared for. Recovering your vision is not going to be easy. You will have to pay close attention to whatever your doctor says to you. Is that understood?"

Naruto nodded, an arm still draped over his dog. "Yes! Definitely!" He chuckled, before stopping abruptly. "Wait, with you? Why?" A disgusted look came over his face, and Sasuke had to fight the urge to feel offended.

"Because, there is no where else to put you. Our houses are full at the moment. This is a large city. Come on, we have paperwork to do," Sasuke lied smoothly. He couldn't have Naruto knowing that the procedure may kill him. He tended to favor honesty, but this, he truly needed. Besides, his brother was never against lying if it was for the greater good. "Oh… Naruto, how old are you?" Sasuke looked at the boy, watching with mild interest as a variety of emotions crossed his face. Pride, sadness, guilt. Finally, forced happiness. So, Sasuke wasn't the only one pretending.

"I'm sixteen," he said simply, running his fingers through Kurama's fur.

Sasuke nodded. "You'll have to have a guardian sign for you. If you don't have one, my adviser can do it for you."

"Adviser? You don't seem the type to take advice," Naruto snickered.

Sasuke snorted. "I rarely do take his advice."

The two – plus Naruto's dogs – exited the conference room. "Kakashi!" Sasuke called. The older man seemed nowhere in sight. Sasuke shook his head. "That damned man is never here when I actually need him. Probably reading his disgusting book..." He sighed, turning to Naruto. "We will go to my condo now, and you and Kakashi can speak further later. Come, I will drive you."

* * *

There had been some complaining at first, "These dogs will not enter my car!" though Naruto's counter-argument had been convincing, "Dumbass, I need them. I can't see, remember?" Eventually, Sasuke had conceded and agreed that Naruto did, indeed, need his dogs.

"Are you hungry?" He questioned once they were on the – insanely busy – road.

In response, Naruto's stomach growled, and his face reddened.

"I'll take that as a yes. Is there a particular food you like?"

Naruto thought about that for a moment, his mind wandering to days spent with his family at his favorite little mom and pop restaurant – Ichiraku's. "Ramen," he said decisively.

Sasuke made a face. "That is disgusting. I refuse to allow you to put that into your body while you are under my temporary care."

"You're not my dad, you know," Naruto grumbled.

"I don't have to be. I rule this country, remember?"

Naruto pouted childishly. "You're a shitty ruler. How could you allow one of your subjects – literally, I'm a test subject – to not eat his favorite food? That is unreasonable, unfair, and downright cruel treatment."

Sasuke shook his head. "My subject is about to live in my home, eat my food, and make me buy clothes for him. So, yes, you will eat what I give you, and not what I don't give you."

"Why would even ask, then?"

"In case you ate something reasonable. Ramen is not reasonable."

"It so is! There are great things in there! It has noodles, which are awesome, and pork, which is even more awesome, and eggs and sometimes vegetables depending on who's selling it, though the vegetables are rarely actually awesome," Naruto spoke enthusiastically.

Sasuke sighed. "Naruto, I am not spending money on ramen. Don't be ridiculous. If you can't pick something reasonable, then I will choose. We'll go to this restaurant that sells healthy, but filling food. The healthy part, I admit, is rather odd, considering the owner and head chef is a rather… large man. I'm only saying this because you'll have your sight soon."

Naruto hadn't really wrapped his mind around it before, but now, with Sasuke putting it into words, he was right. He was going to be able to see. He had been excited to have a home – temporary or not – and had completely forgotten what he'd done to get such a gift.

His sight. His heart jumped into his throat. "I-" He started, but didn't finish.

"Hm?" Sasuke parked the car and turned to look at Naruto.

"Um… What about my dogs?"

Sasuke glanced at the back seat, where the dogs were lying quietly on the seat. He grimaced. He would have to vacuum and shampoo his entire car. He shook his head. "Leave them. Put your hand on my shoulder; I'll lead you."

Sasuke got out of the car, but Naruto remained, his body tense. When Sasuke opened his door, Naruto remained seated. "Um..."

"I don't have all day. Either get up or you're not eating until I'm able to return home from my work."

Naruto sighed. "Do you have any idea what it takes to even guide a blind person?" The blond shook his head. "It's not my fault I don't trust you; you're an asshole."

Sasuke glared at the blond. "You insult me a lot. I am giving you something. Your sight. My home. And I have been incredibly polite to you."

"To me, sure. Only because you need me, remember?"

Sasuke sighed, leaning down so he was able to talk in a softer voice without others overhearing. There was no one in the parking lot, but he couldn't take chances. "Naruto, I do not need you. Using you is the easiest route. The path of least resistance, so to speak. However, if you become too troublesome, there is nothing stopping me from sending you on your way. _You_ need _me_. Stop being childish," he straightened, stepping a little to the side so Naruto could get out of the car, "get up, put your hand on my shoulder, and I _promise_ I will not run you into any walls."

Sasuke's words sunk in. And though it was silly, it stung. For just a moment, Naruto had hoped that he would find some sort of family in Sasuke. It wouldn't have been anything remotely like the one he held with his parents, but still, it would have been some form of a connection. He stood, carefully, his feet feeling around for the door or anything that might trip him. His hands reached out for something to grab onto, and Sasuke grabbed one. Naruto flinched away, surprised by the contact, as well as by the stark contrast between Kurama's warm fur, and Sasuke's icy hands.

"What? I'm not going to rip your arm off," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Uh, no. Your hand his cold..." Naruto mumbled, forcing his body to relax as as Sasuke pulled him away from the car and shut the door. The older man guided Naruto's hand to his shoulder. "Um, Sasuke…?" Naruto pressed. Sasuke sighed but said nothing, so Naruto continued. "Shouldn't I shower first? I mean, I stink. Like, bad. It's been a really long time since I've taken a shower."

Sasuke smirked. "We're at my house. That's exactly what you're about to do."

Naruto balked. "Why would you make me leave my dogs, then? That seems unfair!" He turned, feeling for the latch to the car door. With another sigh, Sasuke took hold of both of Naruto's wrists.

"Please, give me a moment to adjust to the fact that dogs will be in my home. Shower, then you may release your dogs. Deal?"

Naruto paused, but conceded reluctantly. "Fine," he mumbled. He allowed Sasuke to again place his hands on each shoulder. As they began walking, Naruto realized that the two were fairly close in height, with Sasuke being just sightly taller. "Hmm… You're pretty young, huh?"

Sasuke glanced back. "What makes you say that? There's a step here," he warned, stepping up and allowing Naruto to find the step with his foot. "There are two more steps."

"Because," Naruto said as he carefully climbed the three steps, "you're the same height as me. And you sound really young. Being blind means you use other senses better. So, I can usually tell peoples' ages by their voices. I mean, there are other ways, too, like the height thing. Guys don't really stop growing til their like twenty-two or something like that. Women mature faster than guys physically. Well, I guess mentally, too. At least, my mom would always tell me that," he laughed, though the memory of his mother brought pain.

Again, Sasuke was shocked to realize that Naruto really wasn't just a brainless moron. He was quite observant, for a blind idiot. He had caught on to the different treatment he received, seemed to have some understanding that Sasuke's research did, in a small way, require someone that had no family and couldn't be traced back to them, and now, the boy had realized that the two of them were not so different in age, either.

"What if I told you I was thirty?"

"I wouldn't believe you. But I mean, I am kind of forced to trust you right now. You are literally my eyes."

Somehow, the comment made him feel uncomfortable. He was generally an honest man, and didn't consider himself wholly evil. And he was, in fact, currently leading an entire country. However, these were people who, truly, could see things for themselves and make their own decisions. When it came down to it, Naruto had literally given his life to Sasuke. How strange, that the thought hadn't occurred to him until then. Any other test subject would, typically speaking, have their own home, and wouldn't need to depend on Sasuke as Naruto was depending on him now.

"I'm nineteen," he finally admitted, fishing the keys from his pocket and unlocking the door. "Step."

Naruto felt for the step. "Nineteen? Don't you think that's kind of young to be, you know, running a freaking country? Why isn't your dad running it? You said it was generational, right?" Sasuke tensed. Because of his hands on the older man's shoulders, Naruto felt it. "You don't have to tell me," he said quickly.

Sasuke sighed. "You'll find out sooner or later, anyway. My parents are dead. My brother was next in line, but he had a rare form of cancer in his eye. We discovered it too late. My adviser is ancient, and reads pornographic literature on a regular basis. Age is not always a representation of intelligence or capability. I was raised since birth how to lead a country."

As Sasuke spoke, he led Naruto to the bathroom. "I'm afraid I don't have any braille on my soap. Do you know right from left?"

Naruto snorted. "I'm blind, jerk, not retarded."

Sasuke shook the hands from his shoulders. "Good. Shampoo is on the left side of the basket in the shower, soap is on the right. I'm sure you can figure out how to use the knob; it's easy enough. There's a towel on the rack to your right. I'll be back with clothes," and with that, Sasuke was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

Naruto was alone. Again.

But this, this was something the could handle. It had taken a long time before his parents felt confident enough to let him shower alone. Embarrassingly long. It was, truthfully, a relief to have that again, to feel comfortable taking a shower again. Sasuke had told him where things were, so that was good. It took him a few minutes to figure out which direction was hot, and which direction was cold on the faucet, but once he did, he set it to the temperature he liked.

Naruto carefully peeled his long-sleeved shirt off, his nose wrinkling at the scent of his own body odor. "Thank you, Sasuke," he said quietly, more for the shower than anything at that moment. He tossed the dirty shirt to the floor before his fingers moved to unbutton his jeans.

"Finally, some gratitude," Sasuke grumbled as he opened the door, a small pile of neatly folded clothes in his arms. He slipped by Naruto, placing the clothes on the sink counter. "Your clothes are here- ah, they're behind you to the left-"

"I'll figure it out, just get out! I'm trying to shower!" Naruto bit back, his face red, arms covering his naked torso.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Trust me, you have nothing I'm interested in," he responded flatly. As he turned, his eyes caught sight of the boy's starving figure, simply noticing how bony the boy looked. His ribs seemed to threaten to break through the skin. As if he were literally on the verge of death. It was clear that the boy would not have lasted very long on the streets. Sasuke realized then that the decision he made actually had saved this kid's life. It made him feel uncomfortable. Warm, in an incredibly uninvited way. He wasn't looking to _feel_ anything. He only wanted to finish this damn project that his brother had started so he could get back to making sure all of the bastards who had killed his parents-

"Dude, I'm blind, but I still have other senses! It's a thing to feel someone's eyes, you know. I can feel you staring at me. Back off," the blond snarled, hugging himself tighter, the red on his face deepening. Despite not being able to see, he did shoot what looked like a glare in Sasuke's direction, his light blond brows knitted over his eyes, nose wrinkled.

Sasuke cleared his throat to hide a sudden, unexpected burst of amusement. "I think your dogs are more civilized than you."

"If I could see you, I would punch you. Get. Out!"

Sasuke left without another word. The "threat" of being punched by a starving teenager wasn't exactly threatening, but the whole experience had started to become… comfortable. Which made it uncomfortable. He could recall pieces of his childhood that had felt fairly similar. Not, obviously, in the same strangely perverted way it had just been, but certainly embarrassing. Itachi had enjoyed playing stupid, embarrassing jokes on his younger brother when the two were younger.

The dark-haired man swallowed the lump in his throat and left to release the dogs from his car. _Dogs… I can't believe I am about to allow dogs –_ two _dogs – into my home. This kid better be grateful._

* * *

Admittedly, Naruto almost wished he had let Sasuke tell him exactly where the clothes were. He stumbled around the bathroom, completely unused to the new obstacles in his way. In his home, with his parents, things never changed. He learned the layout of the house. Sure, maybe a book or something was on the couch, but it had never been so _difficult_ for him to get dressed!

Still, he had gotten dressed, found the door, and poked his head out. He was quiet for a moment, listening for sounds or movement. Hearing nothing, he felt around the wall the his left – Sasuke had brought him from that way, right? – and began moving that way, keeping his left hand on the wall.

He had, truthfully, never felt quite so _blind_ before. Without Kurama to help him, or even his mother or father, he couldn't figure anything out. He didn't even have a walking stick. Instead of trusting Kurama or his mother or even _Sasuke_ he had to trust himself not to be a clumsy, blundering idiot.

Right.

That lasted him a miraculous total of sixty seconds, when his hip slammed into the edge of a table. Naruto winced, his hand moving to his hip. "Damn it," he hissed, more frustrated with his clumsiness. He hadn't actually been moving fast enough for it to hurt, but it was a setback for his confidence.

The idea of being able to see sounded a hell of a lot more attractive in his mind now. He would be able to be independent. He loved his dogs, but it would be nice for them to depend on him, instead of the other way around.

"Hn. I thought I heard the shower turn off, but you seemed to be taking your sweet time."

Naruto felt his teeth grind together almost painfully before he released a sigh. "Where are my dogs?" He questioned evenly, turning to face the direction the voice had come from.

"They're eating."

"Eating? You have dog food?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

Sasuke snorted incredulously. "I do now. I bought your mutts some food. You're welcome. Again," he couldn't help but adding with a smirk.

Naruto felt his face flush at the memory. "You're going to be impossible to live with. I changed my mind. Thanks for feeding my dogs and letting me shower, but I think being blind is better than having to suffer with you."

"Blind, starving, and unable to feed your dogs? Letting your dogs waste away because you can't handle living with a person for a few days? That is rather selfish. Your age is showing," Sasuke responded bluntly.

The blond's teeth snapped shut as the words sunk in. Sasuke was, admittedly, right. Naruto sighed. "You're right. I… I'm sorry for my selfishness," he ground out, the apology a hard one to release. After all, he didn't truly feel that Sasuke deserved the apology – the dogs deserved the apology more than Sasuke.

Sasuke seemed satisfied, however, and changed the subject. "Are you ready to go?"

Naruto perked up. Yes, Sasuke was going to get food! He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "Yes! Oh- but what about Kurama and Kyuubi?"

"They will stay here," Sasuke assured. "I already have too much fur in my car, and your dogs are monsters. They hardly fit."

Naruto couldn't help but feel uncertain about leaving his dogs, but his stomach growled and twisted painfully from the lack of nutrition it had received, and he knew Sasuke was not going to be changing his mind anytime soon. "Okay. We'll be back soon, though, right? Kurama isn't used to not having me around. Where are they eating? I don't think they've been alone before, and I don't have their toys with me, so I can't leave them with anything..."

Sasuke blinked as the words rapidly flew from the blond's mouth. "I think your dogs will be fine. They're in the guest bedroom, where you'll be sleeping. If they fuck anything up, you can fix it or replace it when you can see. If you're ready, let's go."

Naruto could feel the vibrations under his bare feet as Sasuke moved forward to take a hand and place it on his shoulder. He led Naruto into the guest bedroom, and Naruto could hear the dogs as they ate. He frowned, simply because it seemed like they were inhaling their food, overjoyed to actually be fed again. Sasuke led Naruto to the bed, placing the boy's hands on it before leaving him. It reminded Naruto of his parents, but he didn't think Sasuke was being "careful" because he cared about him, the way his parents did. The dark-haired man likely just didn't want Naruto to break anything. Which made the situation worse, and made him feel even more childish and dependable than he usually did.

"Uh, hey, Sasuke?" He ventured. He heard Sasuke hum a response. "What if, you know, we cooked something to ordered something? I'm not sure I really want to go out..."

The older man returned to Naruto, putting a pair of socks in his hand. "I'm not letting you anywhere near my kitchen, and I don't order take-out. I have to return to work soon, and I don't have the time to cook."

His voice was so flat. Methodical. Precise. He was short and to the point, even when he was teasing Naruto about something – and most of that teasing seemed forced. Naruto sighed.

"Y'know, I was really hoping we'd be friends," he complained as he pulled the socks on, "but you're impossible to get along with. I'm only doing this for my dogs. If I get my sight, I'll be able to get a good job and afford their care by myself. I won't need anyone!" The boy grinned, proud of himself. He felt the bed shake slightly as the dogs jumped next to him.

"You aren't going to sleep with those things in this bed, are you?" Sasuke frowned, glaring at the two dogs.

"Yep!" Naruto's grin widened when he realized how much it was going to piss Sasuke off for the dogs to be on the bed.

Suddenly, two objects smacked him in the chest. Upon investigating the objects with his hands, he realized they were shoes. Sasuke had thrown shoes at him. Naruto snickered. "Who's childish now? Yeah, shoe-throwing, real grown-up thing to do."

"Shut up and put your shoes on before I decide to throw you and your filthy dogs out. I still need to get work done, and you are slowing me down."

Naruto's grin remained plastered on his face as he complied, quickly slipping the shoes on before he and Sasuke set off again, his right hand on the dark-haired man's left shoulder.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two favorite boys bicker, we learn a thing or two about trusting a blind 16 year old(or any 16 year old) with house freedom, and Naruto gets his surgery!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: I meant to post this yesterday, apologies! My goal is to post one chapter a week. The two chapters posted here have already been posted on FFN. Honestly, I feel like this chapter is weak. Buuuut, here it is! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: No characters belong to me! All characters in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto unless otherwise stated.

_**CHAPTER TWO** _

_"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."  
\- Mother Teresa_

 

" _Naruto, I'm sorry, but we are not ready for you to attend a school. Please understand, son-"_

_"I don't understand! This isn't fair!" Naruto cut his father off angrily. This was an argument the young teen had with his parents frequently. "You guys just keep me locked up in this fucking house all day long!"_

" _Naruto!" Kushina, the blond's mother, cut in, her voice low and angry. "You will not use that sort of language in this house! Where did you even hear that word?"_

_Teeth grinding, Naruto turned to storm off, though it was hard to remain dignified when he remembered he needed his dog to guide him. "Work time!" He called, his voice angry. Kurama stood from his plush bed by the couch, moving carefully to Naruto's side, the harsh voice throwing him off. Naruto tended to be very gentle and calm with him.  
_

" _Don't yell at him, Naruto, he didn't do anything. Naruto, don't you walk away from us!"_

_Minato's words seemed to fall on deaf ears and Naruto, using a much calmer voice than previously, instructed his dog to bring him to his room._

" _I hate you!" He hurled the final insult at his parents, immediately regretting the words, but feeling too prideful and angry to take them back. He would apologize in the morning, when they had all calmed down._

Naruto twisted and turned in his sleep, soft whimpers escaping through his nose. A tear slid down his cheek. The sudden feeling of a hand gasping his shoulder and shaking him roughly caused him to leap into a sitting position with a gasp. Immediately, he felt a sharp pain across his forehead and fell back onto the bed, clutching his face in his hands. "Ouch! Jesus fuck, what the hell!"

Sasuke rubbed his now cut and steadily-swelling lip, glaring at the blond boy invading his guest room. "Moron," he said lowly, the dull pain in his lip adding to his sour mood. "Your stupid mutts woke me up. At three in the morning."

"They…? Oh. Uh, yeah, sorry about that. They might have to use the bathroom. And stop calling them mutts! They're purebreds!" Naruto grumbled, his eyebrows drawn together above his eyes. He slid out of bed, gave the work cue, and Kurama was at his side, soon tugging his owner to the door after being instructed.

In truth, the dogs had always retrieved Naruto's parents when he was having a nightmare. It was something they just… did. But he wasn't about to tell that to Sasuke!

Sasuke, slightly less irritated, went back to his bedroom and returned to his bed, ready to fall back to sleep. It seemed like only seconds had passed before he heard Naruto calling him. His irritation only escalated when Naruto informed him that he couldn't see the dogs' shit, and therefore, couldn't actually clean it up.

"You're worse than a five-year-old," Sasuke called back at him, but reluctantly got out of bed to clean up after Naruto's dogs. His anger only seemed to worsen when he shut the door after coming back inside and noticed the amused, almost triumphant smirk on the blond's lips.

Why had he even offered this? Most people – especially someone blind, homeless, and who had just lost their parents – would have been grateful. This kid was just spiteful and annoying. He had to remind himself that he only needed to deal with this for a little while longer. This was Itachi's dream. "I'm ready to punch that stupid smile off your face," he said simply, the words falling from his tongue like ice. His words didn't have the desired effect, as the blond's grin only seemed to widen.

"Yeah, there's no way you're thirty," Naruto laughed. He stretched his arms, yawned, and then reached for Kurama's collar again. The dog was loyally beside him on the left, Kyuubi on the right. "Bed time, guys!" Naruto said cheerfully, the remnants of his nightmare fading, thanks to the brief, amusing encounter with the angry Uchiha.

Sasuke glared in the blond's direction, watching him retreat into the guest room. He left the bedroom door open, so the dark-haired man watched, seething, as the two dogs jumped into the bed and curled themselves around the boy, one on each side. His anger began to ebb, however, when he recalled the state he'd found Naruto in.

The boy was clearly lying about the reason the dogs had woken him up. He was thrashing. And crying. Sasuke had been shocked to watch the tear slide down the side of the blond's face. He didn't seem like the crying type. He was reminded of his own nightmare that the dogs had pulled him from, the main reason he had been so angry. The last Uchiha rarely had dreams anymore, but when he did, they were always reminders of what he'd lost. If he were honest, he was thankful to be pulled from it, but angry to have been found – even if by dogs – in such a state.

Combined with Naruto's forehead smacking painfully into his lip, the early morning was not a pleasant one.

Sasuke made his way back to his own room and climbed back into bed, the anger he felt earlier mostly dissipated. Naruto had gotten over his own nightmare quite quickly. And, though it seemed to be because of his humor at Sasuke's expense, the older man couldn't help but feel somewhat inferior for allowing his own emotions to rile him up.

_"Yeah, there's no way you're thirty."_

Sasuke scowled. Was his young age truly so noticeable? He'd have to work on that.

Sleep seemed distant as his thoughts became engulfed in his newly acquired "foster project." Naruto was a strange one, to be sure. He seemed very… cheerful. Light-hearted. Like he hadn't really experienced the world, experienced pain. It was almost difficult to believe he had lost his parents. Or maybe Sasuke was simply just an emotional creature that hid behind the face of a king.

He sighed and rolled onto his side, glaring at the clock that blinked angry red numbers at him. It was past four in the morning. How had an hour gone by already? He would have to wake up in an hour, and be off to work soon after that. His emperor duties had begun to fall behind as he worked on his brother's project. People were still sending in complains, still unhappy with how he was running things.

"Ungrateful," he said to the darkness of his room.

The young Uchiha brushed his bangs back, expelling a harsh sigh through his nose. How had his parents ever done this? They were much harsher in their methods than Sasuke was, and yet, they kept their reign. Until they were murdered.

If someone had been watching the young man, the look he was sending to the clock would have sent chills down their spine. His look was one of unadulterated murderous intent, his fingers gripping the thick quilt – one his mother had hand-sewn, that he always used to cover himself – so tightly that his knuckles became white. His jaw clenched, teeth grinding together.

_That fucking Clan._

Sasuke wished they were still alive so he could kill them again, watch the house burn, listen to their shocked and pained cries. Their wailing had satisfied him greatly at the time, but now, he couldn't find any comfort in the sounds that his memories conjured. The feeling of victory had dissipated almost as soon as it had come. Even as he watched the house light up, the satisfied feeling simply drifted, and he was left feeling empty. Nothing had happened. He simply turned away from the scene and worked diligently – on his own, naturally – to cover everything up.

It was such a small house in the middle of nowhere, anyway. No one was even aware of its existence.

Sasuke snorted at their ignorance, rolling onto his back to face the ceiling. How could they possibly think that moving to some little cottage in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere would save them from an Uchiha's wrath?

_Fucking morons._

They were blinded by their own blissful ignorance. To think that they actually thought they could just hide away.

He truly, more than anything else in that moment, wished that he could kill them again. Maybe more up-close. A blade. Just watch the life wane from their eyes.

The sudden dip in his bed jolted Sasuke from his dark thoughts, and his dark eyes landed on the dog that Naruto used to walk around. Kurama, he believed the dog's name was. The dog was standing on the bed, staring at Sasuke. The man glowered at the dog, asking, "What? Is Stupid having a nightmare again?"

The dog cocked its head, snorted, his head shaking with the action, and then walked in a circle before curling himself at the foot of the bed.

"Excuse you? Get off!" Sasuke nudged the dog with his leg. Kurama looked up, and glanced at the leg with a look of offense, if dogs could even feel such a thing. "Great, are you stupid, too? Off!" He pushed on the dog's back with more force, causing the dog to stumble to the floor. The red-colored canine looked up at Sasuke again, paused, and then jumped on the bed again. He half-circled, then stopped to glance at Sasuke before lying down again, this time with his back to the edge of the bed.

Sasuke blinked. Was this creature serious? With a grunt, the man tossed the blanket off and stepped out of his bed. "Whatever, keep it. I need to get ready for work anyway. You know," he looked at the dog, who had lifted his head when Sasuke stood, "your master isn't going to need you after today. I can't wait until you're all out of this house."

The dog didn't seem to grasp the concept, staring at Sasuke with unnervingly dark, intelligent eyes. It reminded him of the way Naruto seemed to see through him to his very soul, even though the boy couldn't actually see anything. Sasuke shook his head and made his way to his bathroom.

His bathroom was attached to his room. The condo had come with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious downstairs living room and kitchen, and upstairs, the area was practically untouched, minus a desk. The desk had a translucent screen bordered by black, durable plastic – the computer – lying atop it, and a simple, old-fashioned chair with wheels. The seat twisted and turned separate from the feet of the chair, and the chair itself was made of some sort memory foam that seemed to soak away all ounces of stress. It was perhaps the best invention every created under his family's rule.

Well, until Naruto's eyes were cured, at least.

The Uchiha name would be wiped clean, and Sasuke would be seen as great. His whole family would be seen as great. His people would stop complaining about every tiny thing and would actually appreciate what he was doing for them.

Sasuke sighed as he stripped himself of his clothing, setting the shower temperature to slightly colder than he typically liked. Cold showers were best in the mornings. They woke him up, helped him become more alert for the day.

When he had finished his shower and dressed, Sasuke set about tidying the condo up and got breakfast ready. He would show Naruto good food. The stupid brat had done nothing but complain the whole way to the restaurant the day before. Even after admitting the food was delicious, he just kept saying, "but not as delicious as Ichiraku's ramen!" It was enough to drive anyone crazy.

Still, there was something very carefree about the blond. He seemed to have little care in the world for, well, for anything. He was loud. Everything about him was loud. His hair, his eyes, his laughter, his grin. People at the restaurant were enamored by him. Women flirted with him. Naruto seemed completely oblivious to it all, though. Even when some of the women sent him very clearly suggestive remarks, the blond seemed to always swing the conversation around to include Sasuke – which, at first, had been uncomfortable and strange. Naruto did most of the talking, and most of the customers seemed too uncomfortable to actually speak to Sasuke. Eventually, the two were left alone.

When they left, with Sasuke leading Naruto carefully through the restaurant, many of those same people were utterly surprised to see the act.

Perhaps for several reasons, Sasuke had mused at the time. The emperor, after all, was not one to interact with very many people. And it didn't take a genius to realize Naruto was blind when he was walking. He had heard several people begin to whisper, though what, exactly, they were saying he wasn't certain.

In short, the night with the younger boy had not been terrible, even with the blond's complaints about not being allowed to have ramen.

"Oh my God, that smells amazing!"

If Sasuke were a lesser man, he may have jumped. Instead, he turned around to see Naruto, with Kurama dutifully tugging him. "I'm taking them outside to play for a minute," the young teen informed him as he walked by the kitchen and through the door. Kyuubi, hearing the door opening, trotted quickly through the house and slipped by Naruto.

As he continued making their meal, Sasuke watched the blond from the kitchen window. His back was facing toward the condo, but there was something so weirdly familiar about him, and yet he was positive that he had never met him before. Maybe he looked like someone Sasuke knew? Sasuke did see a great many people, after all. Still, it was almost eerie. Naruto turned, so Sasuke was able to see the profile of his face. He was smiling, his eyes shut. His mouth was moving. He must have been speaking with one of Sasuke's neighbors.

No, Sasuke did not live in a fancy castle, nor did he live in his parents' mansion. While they may have intended for him to do so, the place held too many memories. Memories he wished to avoid. After their deaths, he would be caught by his family's servants standing in one of the mansion's massive hallways for up to an hour, just staring at one of the seemingly hundreds of photographs or portraits of his family. Some were group photographs and paintings, with all four of the family members; some held only his parents, or one or the other; some held Sasuke or Itachi or both of them. Sasuke's gaze tended to linger on the last groups the most. There were few paintings or photographs with both he and Itachi. Anytime they were forced to take a picture together, or forced to stand still for hours while some famous artist painted them, they would end up bickering or Itachi would do something obnoxious just before the picture was taken. Two or three times, he had even shoved Sasuke into an easel, causing the artist to smear the painting with a color. Sasuke could remember once when an artist had accidentally smeared his pallet down the front of Sasuke's shirt, ruining the black suit with various colors. A young Sasuke had snatched a tube of paint and shot it at his laughing older brother. Sasuke and Itachi had both received raw, nearly bruised behinds from their father's belt, but looking back, it was completely worth it.

No, he didn't want to be consistently bombarded with memories. So, he moved out and donated the mansion to be used for a school for the blind. Itachi would have wanted it that way, anyway.

The man was pulled from his thoughts as he watched Naruto scratch the back of his head and laugh. An image of the man Sasuke had killed was instantly brought to the forefront of his mind, and his stomach dropped. All of his muscles tensed. The bowl in his hands dropped to the counter, creating a dull thud. His hands clenched into fists on top of the counter.

Outside, Kurama began tugging Naruto back toward the door. "Ah, hey, Kurama, I'm not ready yet, hold on," Naruto laughed at his dog. "Sorry, Sakura, I gotta go! It was great to meet you though!" He waved in the direction the girl's voice was coming from.

The girl simply blinked and waved back, the movement slow as the weird blond-haired boy made his way into the emperor's home. "Hm..." Her head cocked to the side, the wheels in her brain turning. Was the emperor gay? It would certainly make sense, since he ignored the advances of women. But, then again, Sakura was positive that he had ignored everyone's advances.

She had been lucky – and rich – enough to know the emperor as a younger child. It was why Sasuke had moved into that particular condo. He didn't want to be surrounded by strangers, and Sakura was one of the few people he truly trusted.

Once inside, Naruto was tugged into the kitchen – he guessed the kitchen, at least, considering the scent of food that hit him like a wave. When the dog finally stopped, Naruto could feel his head moving, and he could smell the scent of the soap Sasuke used.

The dog was nudging Sasuke's thigh with his nose, his eyes watching the dark-haired man. The action pulled Sasuke from his thoughts and he looked to the dog, then to Naruto. The blond's face was tilted downward, and he was speaking to the Akita. Kyuubi had also followed the duo inside, a seemingly confused expression on the dog's face. The slender dog remained by the door, head cocked.

The older man shook his head, slowly, then took a breath. "I guess your dog isn't as trained as you thought he was, is he?" He quipped, hoping that his voice was stronger than he felt. The act he'd committed was still fresh – it had only been a week, after all – and it had apparently affected him more than he initially thought.

He, briefly, wondered if all murderers felt this weird after they killed.

He wondered if the couple he burned alive had felt this weird after they had slaughtered his parents.

Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat, Naruto's rebuttal drowned out by the loud pumping in his ears.

"Are you hungry?" He asked instead, cutting off whatever it was Naruto was saying.

"Huh? Ah, heh, yeah, a little," the blond admitted sheepishly, his right hand moving to scratch the back of head. Truthfully, the blond was more than a little hungry, and the loud grumbling coming from his stomach gave it away. Sasuke shoved the bowl from the counter into his chest, and Naruto took hold of if quickly, letting go of Kurama's collar. "Relax," he told the dog, who, as usual, shook off. Sasuke guided Naruto to the table, where the blond boy felt for the chair and pushed himself closer to the table. He judged the distance with his hand, then set the bowl down on top of the table. Sasuke left his side and returned soon after with a spoon, placing it in his hand. He then circled to the other side of the table. Naruto heard the scraping of the chair as Sasuke sat down, as well.

Naruto was quick to start eating, shoveling a large spoonful into his mouth. He blinked, exclaiming, "Holy shit, this is amazing! What is this?" He could taste fruit of several varieties, along with some sort of grain, and some spices he couldn't quite name. It was surprisingly sweet.

"It's just quinoa with fruit. I added honey to yours. I assumed you wouldn't be a fan of anything unsweetened."

"Well, you're right!" Naruto said around a mouthful of food. "What kind of fruit? Peaches, I taste. Uh, apples, too? And… Pomegranate?"

"All correct," Sasuke hummed approvingly. Even at the restaurant, Naruto had shown a surprising knack for guessing ingredients.

The easily excitable blond gave a closed-lipped grin before shoveling more food into his face.

"You eat like a barbarian," Sasuke observed, quickly diminishing the approval he had given just moments before.

As expected, Naruto glowered in the direction of Sasuke's voice. "Yeah, well, you probably eat like a princess or something," he shot back derisively.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I do not."

However, upon self-examination, he realized that he did, in fact, sit and eat like royalty. So his parents were strict about eating habits. So what? He was practically a prince, anyway. He should act like one.

"Eating like a prince is better than eating like a barbarian," he grumbled, taking another small bite.

Naruto only grinned, feeling victorious. "I said princ _ess_ , actually," he snickered. Sasuke ignored the comment. When he was finished, the blond slid the bowl away from him and leaned back in his chair, patting his belly. "Thank you very much! Who knew you were such a chef?"

Sasuke, too, had finished, and stood. He picked up his and Naruto's bowls and brought them to the sink.

"Mm, I wonder if this is how you get to feel all the time," Naruto said absently.

"And how is that?" Sasuke questioned, turning on the faucet and letting the water heat up so he could clean the small amount of dishes. He didn't like clutter of any kind, and that included dishes in the sink. Dishes being left in the sink was one of his – many – pet peeves.

The blond boy turned in his chair to face Sasuke, wearing a shit-eating grin.

Even before the words came out of his mouth, Sasuke already knew he was not going to like the comment.

"Having someone wait on you hand and- Gah!  
  
Sasuke had unexpectedly shot water from snaking faucet, clicking a button to turn it on 'shower' mode, right into Naruto's face, immediately drenching the blond.  
  
"What the hell!"  
  
The older man returned to his previous work, a triumphant, though small, smirk playing on his lips.

Shortly after, while Naruto was taking a shower and getting dressed and Sasuke was mopping his floor and wiping the water from all of the surfaces, he realized that he was actually… enjoying the new-found company. He had been lonely, he realized unexpectedly. Conversing with Naruto had been, in a strange way, fairly easy. Even though the blond irritated him quite frequently, there was some small part of him that almost liked the back-and-forth jabs that they poked at one another. It was almost like having another brother.

Almost. Naruto would never compare to Itachi.

The simple thought of his brother brought all thoughts of enjoyment to a screeching halt in his mind, and his thoughts wandered to his parents, to their murderers. To the person that Naruto had an uncanny resemblance to.

Maybe…

"Don't be ridiculous, Sasuke," he told himself dismissively, ringing out the rag he was using to wipe off the table in the sink. The couple he had killed had no remaining family members. Sasuke had made sure of that. He'd done his homework. Naruto was blond and blue-eyed, and, since that wasn't common in Japan, it stuck out. Perhaps he had some American in his blood. Or German, or any other race that tended to have blue-eyed-blondes. There were others he'd met who were blond with blue eyes. Ino, his receptionist, for instance. Sakura, his long-time friend and current neighbor, too, had unusual features for a Japanese woman. Though she colored her hair, her eyes had always been large for her face, and a striking green color.

That was it.

Anyway, Naruto had a baby-like face, with full cheeks. Minato had been more chiseled, more masculine in appearance. The older man's image was practically burned into Sasuke's retinas. Naruto had none of that man's features.

"Sasuke? Hey, what time do we gotta be there for my procedure? Ha, oh man, it feels weird to say that!"

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, squashing down thoughts of the murderers that he had already slain. "I have to do my actual job this morning. I'll return in the afternoon to bring you to the facility so our doctors can work on you."

"Alright! So, wait, am I staying here? Like, alone?" An odd expression crossed Naturo's face. Something like a mixture of fear and excitement, as though he wasn't quite sure if he was happy about the prospect, or scared out of his mind. Sasuke could take a guess that his parents had been the overbearing type.

"Why? Are you scared?"

Naruto flushed. "No! I'm happy you'll be gone! Finally, some privacy!"

"Hn. Well, I'm off, then. I'd appreciate it if you didn't burn my condo down."

At that, Sasuke made swift strides to his door. As he opened it, he glanced over his shoulder, stealing a glance at the worried face Naruto was making. He genuinely hoped that this kid didn't have some kind of weird separation anxiety towards him when everything was all said and done. The comfortability of their exchanges – the bickering, as well the odd moments of peace – had left Sasuke feeling slightly on-edge. That, combined with his recent comparisons of Naruto and the man he'd killed, was enough to send the usually stoic, proud Uchiha into a near panic attack.

Apparently, killing someone wasn't as simple as they made it seem in the movies. You couldn't simply forget about it. It changed your view of everything. Including, it seemed, complete strangers who had nothing to do with your act. Naruto was far too trusting, Sasuke decided.

* * *

Sasuke ran a hand over his face, feeling as if he was ready to explode. Japan's economy had fallen since his parents' reign, and, naturally, the people were in an uproar. There had been letters and emails demanding that he take action – what the hell did they even expect him to do? – and there was a gathering to be agreed upon by other leaders from other countries. Had his father seriously done this? And his grandfather before them?

He glanced at the clock on the translucent screen in front of him, the email he was reading forgotten not even halfway through. The numbers glowed at him, 12:03.

Well, that counted as afternoon, the young emperor decided. He stood quickly, grabbing the files he needed. He exited his office, looking down the corridor. "Kakashi!" His voice rang in the too-large building.

The building that held the emperor and his small circle of close workers was, essentially, a modern-day palace. It held ten floors, glass windows that showed only a mirrored reflection on the outside, and had been decorated by only the best team. Luxurious oriental rugs covered every neat, beige carpet, walls painted white, elegant, hand-crafted wooden tables and desks in every room. Mirrors, paintings, fancy photographs hung in every long, wide hallway. It was over-done, in Sasuke's opinion, but he didn't care to change it. It simply wasn't worth it. Besides, the extra space at least meant that he was left alone. For the most part. And usually, that was an excellent thing. But at the moment, he needed Kakashi to magically appear and actually do his damn job.

As if on cue, the man seemed to materialize to the side Sasuke hadn't been looking in. Of course. "Ah, Sasuke. What is it you need, sir?"

Sasuke turned to look at the older man, surveying him. As always, he wore a thick, navy blue headband, silvery bangs parted to cover one eye, and the rest sticking up in haphazard directions, as though he had simply rolled out of bed. His clothing, however, was ironed, prim and proper. A suit, no less. To complete the odd look, he wore a tight face mask that covered his nose and mouth.

He was smiling, completely unfazed under Sasuke's cold, calculating gaze. Sasuke could only tell that the man was smiling from the one eye that any person was privy to, the skin crinkled at the corner, the lid shut.

The man was strange. And creepy, even for Sasuke's standards.

The younger man slapped the file to the older's chest. "You need to sign these," he told him flatly.

Kakashi's smile faded as he opened the file, looking at the documents. He looked up from the papers, his expression unreadable as he looked at Sasuke. "I thought you were keeping everything under rug."

"I am. This is a precautionary measure. If people found out about him – he isn't exactly quiet – then this needs to appear as though we didn't just scoop up some homeless kid and bribe him into doing what we want. People are always looking for a way to denounce their leaders."

The silver-haired man kept his gaze even as he studied the younger man before him. Sasuke hadn't always been so cold. Kakashi remembered him as a young, five year old boy, playing in the dirt, screeching with fear when bugs flew at his face. He could clearly see the loving, affectionate boy who clung tightly to his mother's leg when she had to leave to come to the very place they were standing now. He was so full of life then, Kakashi recalled.

Now, his dark eyes were dead. His expression was held in a mask of indifference. His heart was full of sadness that he allowed to corrupt him, twist him into the same thing that had ultimately killed his parents.

This was not what Kakashi wanted for the boy that he had known for so long.

"Stop looking at me like that, Kakashi. It's creepy. Sign the papers. I will return with Naruto shortly."

"Oh, speaking of, how was it? Did you boys have a nice sleepover? It looks like he likes to bite," his silver eyebrows wagged suggestively, referring to the swollen and cut lip Sasuke had. He couldn't help but be amused by the disgusted look on Sasuke's face.

"When are you going to grow up? The kid is sixteen, and he's the most irritating creature I have ever had the displeasure of speaking to. More irritating than even you. He called me a princess," the man grumbled the last sentence, his eyes looking off to the side momentarily. Even though he was an emperor, Sasuke was still young, still immature in many ways. He didn't take insults well. Kakashi was grateful that he didn't shout "Off with his head!" for every insult that was hurled at him.

Kakashi grinned. "I'm glad he's making you feel something."

Before Sasuke could respond to the incredibly odd comment, the older man had turned and stalked off. "You move fast for a worn out, lazy old pervert!" Sasuke called to his back, receiving only a slight, lazy hand wave in response.

_Feel something._

What did that even mean? Sasuke didn't _feel_ anyway about the kid. He just wanted the operation to be done and over with so he could finalize and complete his brother's dream and get back to ruling his country. He shook his head, brushing off the words. Kakashi was weird, that was all there was to it. With that in mind, the young man continued on his way to the elevator, the lobby, and finally, his car – a BMW M6 convertible. Naturally, the car was black, inside and out, with leather seats. The only parts that weren't colored black, were the dark blue rims, and his dark oak dashboard. It was old for the time, but Sasuke loved his car. It was one of the last things he truly cared about in the world.

As he opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, he felt a wave annoyance. The car still smelled of dog. And there was still fur in his air vent. He had cleaned it the previous night. Vacuumed – twice! Shampooed the carpets. He worried that the fur would become a permanent fixture.

* * *

As soon as he walked through the door, he wanted to walk right back out.

"What… the _fuck…_ happened? _What_ did you do to my house?" His voice was low and menacing. Any sane person would have been able to tell that he was obviously furious, and would have been groveling and promising insane things to keep from having to suffer the Uchiha's wrath.

Naruto… was clearly _not_ sane.

Articles of ripped fabric were strewn about the house. Mud – _mud_ – seemed to be splashed on every surface. And he couldn't be certain, but it looked like something glass had been thrown across his kitchen.

"Oh, hey, Sasuke! I'm sorry, is the house a little messy? I was playing with the dogs outside for a bit, but it was getting so cold! Don't worry, I didn't use any of your clothes. I just tied my old shirt in a knot and-"

"Are you this fucking stupid!" Sasuke's voice suddenly rose above the inane chatter, cracking slightly. " _Look_ at my- Goddamn it, Naruto!" The older man ran a shaky hand through his hair. "This is going to take forever to- Fucking hell! I could kill you right now," his voice lowered again, the words coming out as a barely contained growl.

Naruto seemed confused at first. "What… What's wrong? It's just clothes, dude. _My_ clothes. No need to get your panties in a bunch, geez. And I _can't_ look. Blind, remember?" He pointed to his face. "You're the stupid one," he added sullenly.

Sasuke could only stare, his jaw clenched. "I… I can't even look at you right now. I can't wait until all of you are gone," he growled, taking swift, angry strides to his bedroom, slamming the door shut. He could hear Naruto shuffling about, speaking in a low voice once in a while – probably speaking to the dogs. While Sasuke knew he needed to bring the blond to the facility to be operated on, he also knew that if he went out there, he would only lose his composure – again.

He moved to the side of his bed, reaching the night table there and opening the drawer. An old, over-read book lay limp, the spine cracked, the pages dog-eared. The man picked it up, sat on his bed, and flipped to the page he had left off on from the last time he read. Sasuke was seething, but knew that screaming at a blind teenager wasn't about to fix anything. He kept reminding himself that Naruto would be cured soon, and he would soon be able to get the fuck on with his life, sans one irritating blond teenager. He was the fucking emperor. The medical staff could wait.

Time was lost to him as he read. It seemed as if he had only sat down when he heard a knock on his door. While he was reading, the anger had dissipated – as usual – but the knock brought fresh memories, reminding him that he was angry, and why.

"Go away, Naruto."

"Geez, Sasuke, no wonder your boyfriend looked like a kicked puppy," the very feminine, very not-Naruto voice answered him from the door, causing Sasuke to look up. He could hear Naruto protesting her choice of words. Sasuke knew better than to entertain Sakura's strange, twisted thoughts.

He stood, putting the book back where it belonged, and walked to his bedroom door. He opened it a crack to glare at at the pink-haired girl. "What are you doing here?"

The girl was entirely unimpressed by the glare. She cocked her hip, placing a thin hand there. "Cleaning your house with your guest," she answered hotly.

Sasuke opened the door wider to look at the rest of the living room. His white leather couches were white again, the beige walls no longer streaked with a disgusting brown, the ripped fabric no longer scattered like confetti. The house was again pristine. His dark gaze turned again to Sakura. Her green eyes pierced into his, suddenly putting him on the defensive. "What?"

"Sasuke, he's sixteen and _blind_ , and you left him alone with two dogs. What did you think was going to happen?"

It seemed Naruto had had some time to talk to to her. How long had she been in his home? When did she even get there?

She turned sharply away from him, taking hold of Naruto's wrist and pulling him forward. She jerked his arm so he was standing where she had been previously. "Naruto, what do you have to say?" Her voice was stern, but soft.

That was the way Sakura was. Loving, kind, generous, but as unmovable as a mountain.

Naruto fidgeted uncomfortable, his teeth catching his lip. Sasuke observed the boy, patient.

"Uh, I'm sorry, Sasuke. I, uh, I didn't realize that we got mud all over the living room."

"And broke something," Sasuke added, thinking of the shattered glass he had noticed in his kitchen. His voice held no venom, however.

Nonetheless, Sakura shot him a chastising glare. "Just accept his apology so you two can make up."

Sasuke didn't miss the amused glint in her eye, and he returned her glare.

"It doesn't matter anyway, Sakura. He's just an assho- Ow!" The blond rubbed the back of his head, his sullen expression switching to one of shock after the girl smacked him. Her hand was shockingly heavy.

"He's your emperor, Naruto. Show some semblance of respect. Ugh, teenagers," she rolled her eyes in irritation.

"Don't get haughty, Sakura. You're younger than I am. You, yourself, are a teenager," Sasuke reminded her flatly.

"Women mature faster," the girl responded hotly, flipping her pink hair over her shoulder. She had cut it previously, just above her shoulder, and it had just gotten to a length that actually allowed her to perform such an action.

Naruto snickered, half-forgotten by the two friends. Sasuke opened his door wider and slid between the two of them to the front door.

"While I do enjoy these chats, Sakura, Naruto and I have an appointment to catch," he turned to face her, adding, "Would you care to house-sit the mutts so they don't ruin anything else?"

"Why does everyone call them mutts? They are _purebreds!_ They're Japan's national dog!" Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

Sakura ignored the blond, her sharp green eyes suddenly alight with glee, her lips curled into a smirk. "An appointment, huh? Is that your fancy way of saying date?" She giggled when Sasuke's eyes narrowed on her.

Of course, the one time he opens his home to some homeless teenage brat and his dogs, those he's closest to are determined to twist the situation into something it wasn't. Perhaps, Sasuke mused, it was somewhat his fault for never showing interest in others – opposite sex or otherwise – since he was sixteen. In his defense, he had much more important things to deal with. Getting laid wasn't exactly a top priority.

"Date?! No way! Not with this bastard!" Naruto vehemently denied, his face flushed in embarrassment.

"Aw, look at him blush," she giggled. "Gosh, Sasuke, I didn't realize you liked them so young!"

Naruto's blush deepened. He waved his arms and shook his head quickly, but Sasuke spoke before he could say anything. "Yes or no, Sakura?" His tone allowed little room for further teasing, and Sakura pouted.

"You're no fun, Sasuke. He's adorable when he blushes! Anyway, okay, I'll watch Japan's Nation Dogs," she grinned. "They're cute, anyway!"

Naruto, forgetting the older girl's previous comments, grinned as well, exclaiming, "Back home, everyone told me that! I can't see them myself, though. But that's going to change today!"

At the blond's words, Sakura looked at Sasuke, her green eyes narrowing. "Sasuke-"

"Naruto, we have to go. Are you ready?" The older man was quick to cut off her words. He gave her a look that essentially said, _Not now_. Sakura's own look was one of disapproval. But she had the sense to know when to be quiet. That was one thing Sasuke liked about her. She was intelligent, thoughtful. She knew when to speak, and when to shut up.

"Of course I'm ready!" Naruto reached a hand toward Sasuke's voice, waiting patiently as the older man attached the hand to his shoulder. Sakura watched the pair, her gaze scrutinizing every move.

Sasuke pretended he didn't notice, leading Naruto out of the condo and into the passenger seat of his car. He walked around the Beamer and slid into the driver's seat.

"She's fun," Naruto observed, his lips turned up in a goofy grin. "Is she cute?"

Sasuke snorted. "Not in the least."

Naruto laughed. "I feel like you're just saying that because she can boss you around."

Sasuke backed out of the parking space, driving the car to the road. He shook his head. "You do realize that she was implying that we're fucking, right?" He deadpanned, being purposely vulgar, only wanting the topic to stop revolving around his childhood friend. Whether she was cute or not, Sasuke didn't care. If Naruto did find he was attracted to her, that would mean he'd be a more permanent fixture in Sasuke's life. The emperor was ready to be rid of him.

The blond's face reddened again, and another look of disgust twisted his features. "That's gross. There's no way I'd be caught in your bed! I don't even like guys," he shuddered.

Sasuke took his eyes from the road for a second, glancing at Naruto from the corner of his eye. "Have you ever even _had_ sex?" He questioned, though he felt he was certain he knew the answer.

"Uh… Sure!" The blush deepened. "Anyway," Naruto hurriedly added, brushing past the lie before Sasuke could say anything, "you don't have to have sex to know whether you like someone or not. That's not how that works."

"Hn," Sasuke turned his attention back to the road, "you've got me there."

(LINE BREAK!)

The longer they spent in the car, the more nervous Naruto became. His heart threatened to leap from his throat, the fingers on his left hand gripping the leather of the door. His life was about to change. Forever. Maybe. If things worked out well. He swallowed around the lump in his throat.

"Sasuke?" His voice was quiet as he felt the car slow to a stop. Sasuke turned the car off, pulling the keys from the ignition. He turned to look at Naruto, taking in the boy's paled face and wide, frightened eyes. His gaze traveled further down, to the boy's hand gripping the leather handle of the door.

Again, he felt uncomfortable. Naruto hadn't shown an ounce of fear since Sasuke had first met him the day before – not when he thought maybe Sasuke was going to take an organ, not when Sasuke threatened to kick him out, and not even when Sasuke blew up on him for the living room disaster.

Was this really the right thing to do?

There was a time when Sasuke cared about what the "right" thing was, even if he didn't always show it. Really, though, that had always been Itachi's forte. Sasuke just did whatever seemed to work. Difficult, easy, complex, simple – it didn't matter. Whatever worked that kept at least the majority happy. Now, he tended to do whatever helped _him_ in some way.

If Itachi were alive, would he have taken in the teenage boy? Bribed him into becoming a test subject? Kept important facts from him? Kept important facts from his people?

Sasuke knew the answer, and a small part of him, the part that still had feelings, was ashamed.

No. He may have taken the boy in, but if he had, it would have been from the kindness of his heart. He would have loved Naruto as a brother, Sasuke realized. He would have fed him, clothed him, teased him as if he were another member of the family.

"Sasuke, what if, like, something goes wrong? What if you cut my eyes out? What if you, I don't know, accidentally send a laser into my brain or something?" Naruto cut into his thoughts, his voice uncharacteristically soft, though his expression was that of fear. "What if I'm not ready to see? I mean, I've never been able to see. Or, at least, if I was, I definitely don't remember it. Isn't that a bad thing? Won't I, like, go into shock? What if-"

"Naruto, stop," Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder, but removed it almost as soon as he did. It felt odd, unnatural. He hadn't really received nor given physical affection in a long time. Not since Itachi died. "All you're doing is psyching yourself out. I told you, my staff has practiced this procedure on animals."

"Yeah, but, I'm not an animal, Sasuke! I'm a human!" He paused, seeming to contemplate something, before continuing, "Can this kill me?"

Sasuke sighed. "No."

He wasn't sure, if he were honest, but it did seem unlikely. Naruto seemed freaked out enough, anyway.

The blond was still gripping the door.

"I will be right there throughout the whole thing. I helped my brother come up with this. If something seems off, I will immediately end it. Okay?" His voice softened at that final, last word. This is what Itachi would have done, right? Console him? Reassure him?

Naruto hadn't known Sasuke for very long. A day. It wasn't long enough to have formed any real bond. But when it came down to it, he didn't have anyone else to trust. He certainly couldn't talk to Kurama or Kyuubi about it. Or, well, he could, but they wouldn't have any answers for him. They would probably just lay on him, like they were telling him to chill out and just sleep off the worries. But wasn't that what Sasuke was doing? Telling him to go in there, to let the doctor pump him with some kind of drug to put him out?

"What have you got to lose, Naruto?"

The blond realized, painfully, that Sasuke was right. He had already lost the two most important things in the world to him. Kurama and Kyuubi could find homes elsewhere – maybe with Sakura? She seemed friendly, engaging. Even when she was smacking him.

Taking two deep breaths, he finally relaxed his hand. "Okay. Let's go."

Sasuke quickly exited the vehicle, wanting to hurriedly bring Naruto into the facility before the blond had a chance to back out or decide he was too scared, after all.

The facility that Sasuke was taking him to, was the same one that Suigetsu had brought him into the day before. This was where they tested, conversed, compared notes and data. Naruto was about to become another test subject, another number, more data to be written down and discussed. The duo remained silent as Naruto was led into the building, and into the room where the operation was to take place.

Naruto could hear the sounds of machines all around him, beeping, buzzing, whirring. When he woke up, he would see them, too. They wouldn't just be noise. They would be _color_. They would finally have a shape that he would be able to perfectly identify. They would have bright, blinking lights that would glare into his retinas. And he would be able to see them.

A nurse, a woman with soft hands and a friendly voice who introduced herself as Shizune, gently injected him – if stabbing someone in the arm could ever be gentle. Naruto felt fidgety again. What if this was the wrong decision? He forced himself to take deep breaths again, trying to calm down and allow the drugs to do their job. _Calm down, Naruto. Calm down. Everything will be okay._

His eyes slid shut, and soon, the beeping and whirring around him faded into nothingness.

* * *

When Sasuke had originally said he would be there, he hadn't really meant it. And yet, every time he tried to leave, all he could hear was his brother's voice, taunting him.

"Coward," Itachi would say.

"Traitor," his brother would hiss.

In the end, it was simply less trouble to stay. Tsunade, the doctor operating on Naruto, had given him a curious stare. Tsunade was a busty woman with a fair face, light hair, and hazel eyes. She had been the doctor his parents used – and had even babysat Sasuke on occasion. She had been around the family for a long time, so she knew what to expect from the Uchihas. Sasuke's odd actions, his pacing from the chair to the door and back again, were unusual to her. But the woman didn't comment.

Eventually, the operation was finished, and Tsunade and Shizune worked together to wrap gauze around the blond's eyes, the bandage wrapping around his head. "Do not let him remove this, Sasuke," Tsunade had warned, "His eyes are going to be very light-sensitive, and he will likely experience sensory overload. Sixteen is a bit old to be repairing the eyes. It is very important that his eyes heal before he removes that bandage. Understood?"

Sasuke nodded, once, and Tsunade was out the door, her heels clicking on the linoleum. Shizune followed behind her quickly, but stopped at the doorway. She turned to look at Sasuke. "It… It was very kind of you to stay. I'm sure this boy will be overjoyed to see you here," and then she was gone.

Kind. Now that was a word that Sasuke had never heard projected at him before.

No, Itachi was the kind one. Sasuke was only attempting to do something that Itachi might have.

It only took Naruto perhaps ten minutes before he was waking up. Sasuke watched him from the plush, pale green chair in the operating room. The blond groaned, shifting beneath the thin sheet. A hand went to his head, fingers running over the bandage. Sasuke stood, moving over to Naruto's left side – the machines measuring his vitals blocked the right side. He took the blond's wrist, putting it back down onto his chest. "You can't mess with your bandage," his voice was low; final, but soft.

"Mmm..." Naruto murmured something unintelligible, before his body went limp again. Beneath the bandages, Naruto wondered if it was his imagination, or if he could actually tell that a light was shining on him. The thought came and went as he slid back into sleep.

The next time he woke up, he didn't feel quite as drowsy. Slowly, carefully, his doctor, Tsunade, unraveled the bandages from his head. "Listen, Naruto. If you start to feel tired, if your eyes hurt, or if your head hurts, you must let us know. It is very important to let your eyes adjust at their own pace. Do not try to force this."

Naruto nodded in understanding, his heart beginning to race. The monitor to his right picked up on the faster heartbeat, but no one drew attention to it.

The gauze was carefully peeled from his eyes. Naruto slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the sudden light that invaded his retinas. Everything was blurred. Nothing made sense. His eyes watered at the bright lights. Naruto shut his eyes and rubbed them. "Is this what light is?" He groaned.

Tsunade smiled. "Shizune, turn the light off," she instructed. The nurse hurried to follow the order. "Try to open your eyes again, Naruto."

Naruto complied, blinking slowly. The room was, indeed, darker. It was easier for him to keep his eyes open. At first, he stared only down at his hands. As his vision cleared, he quickly looked up, searching the faces of the people gathered in front of him. Slowly, his blue eyes widened. "I- I can see!" Naruto laughed, his body buzzing, alight with excitement, the fear long sense forgotten.

"Good. You can finally get out of my house."

Naruto looked in the direction of the familiar voice, his gaze traveling up to the pale face of Sasuke. He still couldn't make sense of the colors, but he found that Sasuke was actually… not terrible to look at. He grinned. "Hey, you look like a princess, after all!"

"You wouldn't even know what a princess looks like, moron," Sasuke reminded him coolly, his face unreadable.

The blond normally would have protested the insult, but he felt a stab of pain behind his eyes, and found that he was too tired to argue. He rubbed at his eyes again. "Uh, I'm getting a headache," he informed the doctor.

Tsunade nodded, placing new pieces of gauze on the boy's eyes and wrapping a new bandage around his head. "You should feel better in about a week, Naruto," she informed him.

Naruto smiled sleepily, laying his head back against the pillow. "Take care of my dogs, Sasuke," he murmured.

Sasuke didn't respond, only watched as Naruto fell back to sleep. When Tsunade and Shizune left, the young Uchiha remained still in the plush chair for a moment longer. He thought about the previous night, and found that a part of him, some small, lonely place still in his heart, would be sad when Naruto did leave. It hadn't been horrible, having company, having someone to talk to.

The man stood and left the room to return home.


End file.
